Published/Revised May 25, 2015 By Cam Hassard This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

When it comes to popular north German destinations, Berlin certainly hogs its share of the attention. Yet to visit Berlin alone would mean ignoring the multitude of equally fascinating locations near and around. One of the more impressive is much closer than you’d think, a conveniently short U-Bahn ride from the capital itself. Welcome to Potsdam.Potsdam, like Berlin, is a city steeped in ... Read Full Article

Published/Revised May 13, 2016 By Terri Fogarty This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

If you are traveling to Berlin, be sure to take advantage of the new Berlin Welcome card that has lots of added features and enhancements. With the Berlin Welcome Card, you get (per adult):Unlimited travel within the public transport system for 72 hours from validation (fare zone AB)
Free admission to all open museums of the Museum Island (excl. special exhibitions) for 3 days
Berlin Welcome ... Read Full Article

Published/Revised June 11, 2014 By Mattie Bamman This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Having visited the palace of Versailles in France, I had a feeling that I would not be impressed by King Frederick II’s Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam, Germany. Sure enough, when we pulled up to the old villa, I thought, well this is pretty good, but it isn’t so much. Then our tour guide told us that we were looking at the servants’ quarters.King Frederick II (also known as Frederick the ... Read Full Article

Published/Revised June 12, 2014 By Terri Fogarty This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

We spent two wonderful days in Potsdam and think that anyone traveling to Berlin ought to take a couple extra days to discover this historic city. Potsdam is just a short twenty minute trip from Berlin by inter-city rail. Most tourists only visit Sanssouci while in Potsdam; however, this city has so much more to offer.
Potsdam has its own Brandenburg GateThe Neues Palace is steeped in ... Read Full Article

Published/Revised June 14, 2014 By Terri Fogarty This post may contain promotional and affiliate links. EuropeUpClose may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Germany has launched a great website for travelers who are interested in particular historic and cultural aspects of Germany. Historic Germany highlights thirteen smaller but historically important cities including Augsburg, Erfurt, Freiburg, Heidleberg, Koblenz, Lubeck, Muenster, Potsdam, Regensburg, Rostock, Trier, Weisbaden, and Wurzburg.The site also offers Dream Routes that focus on ... Read Full Article